Robert Sampson is a well known backyard enthusiast and founder of Backyard Sidekick.
He has been doing projects, playing games, and spending time in the backyard his entire life.
My Personal Story
I grew up playing outside and doing outdoor activities most of the time. This was back when the most technology we had in the house was a radio and a VHS player. I used to love playing soccer in the yard with the ball and net my parents got me, and exploring the hiking trails that led to a popular viewing point in New Hampshire.
I’ve lived in and visited many states across the US including New Hampshire, Kentucky, Maryland, Alaska, and Colorado. I have also visited other countries such as Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, and Iraq during my time in the Army.
Now, I live in a small town in Colorado with my wife, Julie, and our son Connor Murphy. I work as an engineer in downtown Colorado Springs. When I’m not at work, I’m spending time with my wife and son or traveling to New Hampshire to visit family.
I met my wife at a college in Manchester, New Hampshire when we took an earth science class together. Since then we’ve gotten married, moved to Colorado and had our first child together. We love spending time in the backyard either grilling, gardening, or playing games and sports together as a family.
My Work Story
I started working at a young age. I remember walking around the neighborhood with a snow shovel in the winter trying to earn a couple extra bucks, and my dad bringing me to a real job site with him where I would shovel dirt. My first real job was as a cart pusher for a local grocery store that I would ride my bike to for every shift. That was until I saved up enough to buy my first car when I turned sixteen.
At the age of 19, I enlisted in the US Army and spent a few years traveling the country and different parts of the world. A lot of the training was done outside. I have always enjoyed the outdoors, and I was always happy to be working outside on a warm summers day.
After my time in service I became an electrician. I was able to meet many people and learned a lot about electricity which has helped me around my own house plenty of times. I soon learned all I could about being an electrician and decided to go back to school for electrical engineering.
After earning a bachelors degree in electrical engineering, I got a local job in Colorado where I still work today. Now, I spend my free time doing projects around the house and spending time with my family.
I do a lot in our backyard, and I started the Backyard Sidekick website to share with others what I’ve learned. Many people may have the same questions I did when starting a new project or getting into a new backyard activity. My goal is to give everyone helpful answers based off of real world experience.